New-Zealand PM lauded for wearing hijab, is this ok?
in Religion

New-Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is praised for her handling of the aftermath following the Christchurch terrorist attack that left 50 dead, with good reasons I think...

But there’s something I find peculiar; The praises about her wearing a hijab when interacting with the Muslim community...

I mean, I get the visit and the greeting in Arabic sure , I applaud that... But was wearing a hijab the right thing to do? More so when not in a mosque and meeting with non-clerical Muslims... I mean, non-Catholics are asked to wear one when meeting the pope in the Vatican, ok fine, it may be "decorum" but women are not asked that when meeting him at a public event, right?

The hijab is not an Islamic requirement, not all Muslim women wear one, right? Iranian women are protesting and want to remove it, if Saudi women had a say, many probably would remove it too... If wearing the veil was a faith-oriented right, every Muslim woman should be striving for it and it’s clearly not the case...  A Muslim woman is a Muslim, with or without a hijab, right?? It shouldn’t even matter, correct?? It’s HER choice (in theory...).

So, why did Ardern assume that wearing one was the right thing to do?? To me it feels caricatural of Muslim women, thus my questioning about this being appropriate...  I feel like this sends the fallacious message that “real Muslim women” are veiled and that unveiled ones are somewhat less Muslim... I’m not a supporter of the concept but, couldn’t it be perceived as “cultural appropriation” and if not, how is it different?